Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to textiles coupled with electrical components which interact with the wearer and the environment.
Description of the Related Art
Electronics are used to collect data relating to humans in a multitude of ways. Sensors are embedded in devices worn by humans to aid in collecting data. Many sensors are in wearable devices used to track fitness metrics of a human. For example, Nike and Ralph Lauren have developed products to track biometrics. Nike has created Nike+ which employs a sensor that can be embedded in a shoe, watch, or bracelet to collect data from human movement. Ralph Lauren has developed Polo Tech which uses silver fiber sensors woven into the shirt to keep track of the wearer's biometrics like heart rate and breathing rate. The shirt also delves a bit into the psychiatric realm by measuring stats like stress level. All this information is compiled in a “black box” on the shirt equipped with an accelerometer and gyroscope. Data captured in the “black box” is sent to the cloud, where a set of algorithms is used to analyze it. Once the information is parsed, you can access it live via a special mobile application.
Wearables usually involves a single sensor or single cluster of sensors for measuring one or more physiological signals. Wearables, such as the Ralph Lauren Polo Tech, rely on a pressure force between its sensors and the skin of the wearer. This force may cause irritation, reduce performance, cause unexpected problems and be unaesthetically pleasing. Wearable physiological measuring systems may have a tension adjusting device which can adjust a pressure force between a physiological sensor and the skin of the user according to different users, and thereby the physiological signal of the user can be correctly measured. A tension system of the wearable physiological measuring system can control a flexible binding force of the wearable physiological measuring system, however, when the wearable physiological measuring system is applied to a dynamic measurement, the tension system can create a noise or an abnormal signal skewing sensor output. Therefore, a dynamical stable apparatus that is comfortable is needed to accurately monitor motion.
Monitoring motion is not the only function textiles have. Although many wearable sensors are used to capture information relating to biometrics from activities, textiles are important to everyone. Textiles serve many functions, for example, protecting skin from harmful UV light and maintaining a core temperature. Also, textiles can be made to be personalized to the wearer. People wear different textiles depending on lifestyle, hobbies, jobs, etc. Using textiles, people signal and express things about themselves such as mood, hobbies, status, etc.
Digital or smart textiles describe combining textiles with information technology. This includes the incorporation of digital devices as part of the clothing. Moreover, it may be desired to know when an article of clothing has been closed, or whether a pocket is open or not. Therefore, a need exists for a method and system of providing interconnectability and control of sensors coupled to textiles which are wirelessly connected to networks.